The entry of the Chevy's new Cruze has just hotted up the mid-size segment even further. But does this teeth-baring entrant have what it takes to upset the segment favourite, the Skoda Laura? Abhishek Nigam puts them to the task
Being at the top is great. You're way above the rest, you are popular and it mostly implies you are successful. No matter how delightful it may seem from down below, being at the top is always a struggle with the competition always finding ways to push you down. In the 10-15 lakh segment it's the Skoda Laura which has been reigning supreme for quite some time demolishing one challenger after another. This time however the Laura is up against its toughest competitor yet. A competitor who packs a mean punch yet wears a suave bow tie while at it. What we're talking about is the all new Chevrolet Cruze. The J300 as it is internally known as was introduced in 2008 and internationally served as a replacement to the Chevrolet Cobalt and the Daewoo Lacetti. Since the Cruze was developed by a global design and engineering team it definitely feels much more American unlike its rebadged Korean predecessor the Optra.
And it looks the part too. The Cruze has a chiseled, sophisticated exterior that gives nothing away to more established brands. The unusual double decker front grille treatment is particularly refreshingly. The swept back head lamps the muscular swage line gives it an extremely aggressive demeanor. The Laura was recently given a face lift wherein it received stylish new headlights, a slightly revised grille and other minute changes. Still placed next to the Cruze, the Laura looks pretty bland. And more so in white where the Laura looked like Vanilla next to Blueberry.
On the inside as well the Cruze is as radical as its exteriors. The centre console is a mix of grey, silver and glossy black surfaces. The speedo console looks neat with overlapping ovals and the chrome rings around them. The seats are pretty comfortable and offer good support in all the right areas. At the rear however, the Cruze takes a back seat to the Laura. Not only does it have less legroom but headroom also suffers thanks to the sloping silhouette. A first in this segment the car also features Keyless start stop entry which is a welcome addition to the already loaded Cruze. Get inside the Laura and the first thing one notices is how much more airy and spacious the car feels. The ergonomics are spot on and so is the quality of materials, a hallmark of the Skoda brand. Getting to the rear, 3 adults can be seated abreast comfortably with more than ample legroom. On the hot summer days the Laura also has the distinct advantage of having a separate blower for the rear passengers. The Laura however is devoid of any kind of steering controls which is shocking for a car in this segment
The other shocker was provided by the Cruze. Floor the throttle and there is considerable lag till about 1800 rpm and then all hell breaks loose. The Cruze just rockets forward riding a huge wave of torque. The 100 km/h sprint is covered in just 11.6 seconds. Keeping the pedal nailed saw us through 200 km/h with us running out of road at 207 km/h. The performance is thanks to the brilliant motor lying under that chiseled hood.
The 1991 cc VCDi unit coupled with the variable geometry turbo pumps out a 150 PS and a stump pulling 327 Nm of torque. The Laura on the other hand has to contend with the dated Pumpe Duse engine which pumps out a relatively mediocre 105 PS and 250 Nm of torque. Performance as expected is not a patch on the Cruze. Pedal to the metal makes the Laura get to a 100 km/h in 13.26 seconds while she tops out at 181 km/h. Around town though it's the Laura that's easier to drive in bumper to bumper traffic due to the relatively less turbo lag. In the Cruze you're either out of the power band and once the turbo spools up, almost on the bumper of the car in front. The power delivery is anything but linear with the turbo kicking in wildly. So one really needs to modulate that throttle well. Gear shift quality is spot on in the Laura while the Cruze tends to get notchy at times. Braking is brilliant on both cars with both of them employing discs all around. The bite on the Cruz however felt slightly better. Dropping the anchors from a 100 km/h the Cruze managed to come to a halt in 46.77 metres taking just 4.11 seconds. The Laura did the same in 45.82 metres and 3.98 seconds.
